Interlocking contact-relay.



l W. M. MOCLINTOGK.

INTERLOCKING ooNTAcfr RELAY.

Patented May 31, 1910.

v APPLIUATION FILED MAB.. 30, 1908.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1908.

Patntea May 31, 1910.

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UNITED STAWENT oFFIoE.

WILLIAM lVI. MCCLINTOGK, 0F ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

INTERLOCKING CONTACT-RELAY.

T o all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. MCCLIN- Tooii, of St. Paul, Ramseycounty, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inInterlocking Contact-Relays, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanically interlocking contact relays andthe object of the invention is to provide means for operating electricalcrossing bells or other signaling devices used on single trackrailways.

In some instances it is desirable that the signal should operate uponthe passage of a train in one direction and be inoperative when thetrain is passing in the opposite direction. In other instances, such asthe operation of highway crossing signals for steam roads it isnecessary7 that the crossing bell or signal should be operated when atrain is approaching the crossing but should be inoperative when thetrain is leaving the crossing.

The invention consists generally in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilicat-ion,Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of myinvention to a railway track. Fig. 2 is a similar view illust-rating theposition assumed by the parts of the relay when a train enters theinsulated track section moving toward the right. Fig. 3 illustrates t-heposition assumed by the parts when the train is partially in oneinsulated track section and partially in the other. Fig. 4 is a similarview illustrating the position of the parts when the train has movedpast the relay and is leaving the crossing. Fig. 5 is a detail viewillustrating the normal position of the relay. Fig. 6 is a detail viewillustrating the position assumed by one of the circuit closing ringswhen the circuit is closed therethrough. Fig. 7 illustrates the meansfor preventing the other circuit closing ring from rotating beyond apredetermined point.

In the drawing, A represents one insulated track section and B theother, between which at IFI the highway crossing is located when thesignal device is used in connection with a crossing. The sections A andB are insulate-d from one another and from the Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed March 30, 1908.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Serial No. 424,083.

rest of the track by the insulating blocks C inserted in the rails inthe usual way. A circuit 2 having a battery 3 connects the oppositerails of the section A and a circuit 4 having a battery 5 connects therails of the section B. An electro-magnet 6 is in circuit throughconductors 7 and 8 with the rails of section A, and a similar magnet 9is in circuit with the rails of section B through conductors 10 and 11.The circuits through these magnets will be normally closed.

The electro-magnets are mounted on a suitable base 12 and have polepieces 13 and 14. Levers 15 and 16 are pivoted at 17 and carry armatures18 and 19 which are attracted when the pole pieces 13 and 14 areenergized. I-Iangers 2() are provided on the plate 12 having bearingsfor shafts 21 whereon the circuit closing rings 22 and 23 are mounted.These rings are hollow and composed of a non-conducting material such asglass and contain a conducting fluid such as mercury which is insertedinto the hollow rings and the air exhausted therefrom. These ringscorrespond substantially to those shown and described in a certainpending application for United States Letters Patent, filed by meJanuary 16, 1906, Serial No. 296,245, and further detailed descriptionthereof in this application will be unnecessary. The rings are providedwith terminals 24, 25, 26 and 27 which project into the path of theconducting fluid in the rings and are connected by conductors 28, 29, 30and 31 with binding posts 32, 33, 34 and 35 on the plate 12. These postsare connected with an alarm circuit 35.

Links 40 pivotally connect the levers 15 and 16 with arms 41 and 42secured respectively on the shafts of the rotating circuit closers.These arms act as counter weights to draw the armatures 18 and 19 awayfrom the pole pieces of their respective magnets when the magnets aredenergized, and when such a condition obtains in the magnets the circuitclosers will be rotated to close the signal circuits therethrough.

rIhe opera-tion of the device is as follows: The device is designed tobe used on closed track circuits and the normal position of the parts isillustrated in Fig. 1, that is, the armature 18 is attracted toward thepole piece 13 of the magnet 6 and the armature 19 is attracted towardthe pole piece 14 of the magnet 9. This movement of the armatures willraise the levers 15 and 16 and rotate the shafts of the circuit closersthrough their connection with the links 40. Assuming now the magnet 6 tobe connected with the rails of the insulated track section A and themagnet 9 to be similarly connected with the rails of the section B, it'a train should pass on to the section A moving toward the right, themagnet 6 will immediately be short circuited and becoming denergizedwill allow its armature to drop and the circuit closing ring 23 torotate toward the left or in a direction opposite to the movement of thehands of a clock. As soon as the terminal 26 contacts with the mercuryor other conducting tluid, the auxiliary or signal circuit will beclosed and the alarm sounded, thus indicating that a train isapproaching the crossing in section A and moving toward the right. Thearm 37 and the curved spring 37 move with the ring and assume theposition shown in F ig. 6. The magnet 9 is not in any way ailected, thecircuit remaining closed therethrough. Vlien the train reaches the jointbetween the sections A and B and is partially on one section andpartially on the other the magnet 9 will be short circuited and itsarmature will drop and the circuit closing ring 9.2 will rotate towardthe right from the position shown in F ig. 6. The arm B6 swinging withthe circuit closing ring will strike the spring 37 and the ring will beprevented from rotating a sufhcient distance to allow the terminal 25 tocontact with t-he conducting fluid. The circuit therefore through thering 22 will remain broken and the signal will be silent, (see Fig. 3).Assuming now that the train has passed entirely ofi' from section A andon to section B the magnet 6 will become energized and attract itsarmature 18 and will rotate the ring 23 with its arm 37 and spring 37toward the right, and break the auxiliary circuit established throughthe ring 23. The magnet 9 will be short circuited and the ring 22revolved toward the right, but the arm 37 will be in the path of thespring 36 and will prevent the ring Q2 when the magnet is subsequentlydenergized from turning sufficiently to close its contacts. Thus a trainmoving on section A toward the right will cause the signal to beoperated, but the signal will be silent when the train has passed on tosection B and during the time it is traveling in said section. Assumingnow that the train has passed off of both sections, both magnets canbecome energized and attract their respective armatures. This causesboth rings to be rotated and returns them to their normal position (seeFig. 1).

I have illustrated a single signal or alarm circuit for the two circuitclosers, but obviously an independent circuit may be provided or eachcircuit closing ring if preferred.

-tively with said insulated track sections, a

normally open signal circuit, said signal circuit comprising hollowvacuum receptacles containing a conducting i'luid and having,

contact points and said relay circuits comprising relays to control saidcontact points.

2. The combination, with a track having a signaling point or station andtrack sections insulated lrom one another upon each side of saidstation, normally closed relay circuits connected with said tracksections and short circuited by the presence of a train on saidsections, a normally open signal ciring a conducting fluid and havingcontact points controlled by said relay circuits to close said signalcircuit when a train is approaching the signaling station on either ofsaid insulated track sections and to allow said signal circuit to remainopen when the train has passed from one track section to the other andis leaving said signaling station.

3. The combination, with a track having insulated track sections andnormally closed relay circuits, of a normally open signal circuit,circuit closers controlled by said relay circuits and arranged to closesaid signal circuit, said circuit closers comprising hollow ringscontaining a conducting fluid and having contact points and actuatedthrough said relay circuits to close said signal circuit, and amechanism arranged to prevent the operation of one of said circuitclosers.

4. The combination, with a track having insulated track sections, andnormally closed relay circuits, of a normally open signal cir cuit,circuit closers comprising hollow vacuum rings containing a conductingiiuid and having contact points adapted to close said signal circuitthrough said conducting fluid, means whereby said rings will be rotatedwhen said relay circuits are broken, and means carried by one of saidrings to prevent the closing of the circuit through the other ring,substantially as described.

A circuit closing device comprising hollow vacuum rings containing aconducting fluid and having contact points adapted to be immersed insaid fluid, a signal circuit connected with said contact points, meanswhereby said rings will be rotated to close the circuits therethrough,arms carried by said rings and springs arranged to contact with saidarms and limit their movement cuit, means including vacuum ringscontainand prevent the closing of the circuit through one ring when thecircuit has been previ ously closed through the other ring.

6. -In a signaling device, the combination, with a signal circuitnormally open, of circuit closing vacuum rings containing a conductingfluid and having contact points adapted to be immersed in said iiuid andconnected with said signal circuit, said rings being arranged to rotatetoward one another, arms mounted on said rings and normally out ofcontact with one another, and one arm moving with its circuit closingring when the circuit is closed therethrough to limit the movement ofthe other arm and prevent the closing of the circuit through the secondring and means moving with said other arm and engaging the first namedarm and temporarily locking its circuit closer in a non-closingposition, substantially as described.

7. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal circuit normallyopen, of rotating circuit closers, arms mounted thereon and normally outof contact with one another, one arm moving with its circuit closer tolimit the movement of the other arm and prevent the closing of thecircuit through the second circuit closer and means moving with saidother arm and engaging said first named arm and temporarily locking itscircuit closer in a non-closing position.

8. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal circuitnormallyvopen, of circuit closers comprising hollow rings containing aconducting Huid and having contact points adapted to close said signalcircuit through said conducting fluid, means whereby said rings will berotated to close the circuits there through, and means set by themovement of one circuit closer to prevent the closing of the circuitthrough the other circuit closer, substantially as described.

9. In a signaling device, circuit closers each-having a long and a shortarm mounted thereon, the long arm of one closer opposing the short armof the other closer and normally out of contact therewith, the short armof one closer moving therewith into the path of the long arm of theother closer and preventing the closing of the circuit through saidother closer, substantially as described.

lO. In a signaling device, circuit closers comprising hollow ringscontaining a conducting tluid and having contact points adapted to closea circuit through said conducting iuid, means whereby said rings will berotated to close the circuit there through and means set by the movementof one circuit closer to prevent the closing of the circuit through theother circuit closer, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this l2 day of March1908.

WILLIAM M. MCCLINTOCK.

Witnesses:

R101-IARD PAUL, C. Gr. HANsoN.

